Artificial flower-making device



Nov. 24, 1936. R. N. BURTON ARTIFICIAL FLQWER MAKING DEVICE Filed Oct. 20; 19.34

Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTIFICIAL FLOWER-MAKING DEVICE Robert N. Burton, River Forest, 111., 'assignorto Kirchen Bros. Inc., Chicago, 111., a. corporationof Illinois Application October 20, 1934, serial No. 749,141

' 4 Claims. (01. 41-2) 7 This invention relates to devices for making special feature of construction required to conartificial flowers. Its object is toprovide such vert it to my special purpose is the formation of means in a form which is extremely simple .to, a circular aperture, 4, in the bottom of the box, produce and economical to manufacture, and and-a circularaperture, 5, centered in the cover. which shall occupy no unnecessary space in the Preferably, one of these apertures is slightly larg- 5 package in which the outfit is marketed. It coner than the other, and, as shown, the aperture, 4, sists of certain features and elements of construcin the box itself is the smaller. tion in combination and in the method of using To form a flower the box, I, is inverted on a the same, as herein shown and described and as table or other suitable support and one of the indicated by the claims. petal units, A, is centered thereon over the aper 10' In the drawing: ture, 4, as indicated in dotted outline. The box Figure 1 is aperspective view showing the parts cover, 2, is then inverted and placed upon the of the device ina diagrammatic arrangement with petal unit, A, and a second unit, B, is centered petal units 110 be p y in making t fiow over the aperture, 5, of the cover. Using the I5 Figure 2 is a vertical section showing the parts plunger, 3, the tissue petal units, A and B, are in assembled relation in the process of making pushed gently through the apertures to the exthe flower. tent indicated in Figure 2; the plunger, 3, is then Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the asremoved, and the apparatus is inverted to the sembled parts in inverted position for applying position shown in Figure 3. The cover member,

b the stem-wire to the calyx. 2, thus supports the partially formed flower out Figure a P rspective view of a flower made of contact with the table surface, and the cenin accordance with this invention. trally gathered portions, A and B of the petal Figure 5 is a perspective w ar to units arepresented upwardly, as seen in Figure ure 1 showing a modified apparatus. 3. A loop of wire, C, is gathered about the calyx,

Figure 6 s a ct o al View similar to Figure 2 A B and the ends, C of the wire may be twisted '25 Sh the P ts Of Sa d mo fi apparatus in together and disposed substantially along the their relative positions during the formation of a axis of the blossom, The box c ver, 2, i then flower. withdrawn over the petal member, B, temporarily Fi ur is a p sp tiv vi w illustrating the gathering the petals quite closely, and the box 0 P t o t modified pp tu for attaching member, I, may be withdrawn in the same directhe stem wire. tion, if desired, or since the aperture, 4, therein Figure 8 is a perspective w Similar t Figure 1 is smaller than the aperture, 5, it may be removed b t ow a further modification of the pin the opposite direction over the stem. The calyx pa'ratus. of the blossom and the stem formed of the wire Th pap r fl w rs mad in accordance w h thi are then wrapped with any suitable material, such 35 invention are usually composed of a plurality of a a Strip of green crepe p r, 1), as seen i petal units, each unit being in the form of a disk Figure 4, I of thin tissue paper or woodfiber tissue, or similar Figures 5, 6 and '7 illu trate a modification of I material with its edge suitably scalloped the apparatus in which the box cover, 2, is re- 40 f inged to pro the effect of plurality 0f placed by an annular member shown as a ring, p These units are arranged n Supe 6, having a central opening slightly larger than posed relation to each other and their centers are the aperture, 4. It may be of any suitabl then offset and gathered into the form of a calyX, terial, such as celluloid, and of substantial resulting in a relatively infor d natural thickness suflicient to separate the petal units A ath rin and shap f t p p al p rt s and 3 during the forming process so as to allow of the petal units into some such arrangement as the petals formed by each unit to take shape inindicated in Figure 4. dependently of the other unit. Figure 6 illus- For the convenient handling and shaping of trates the step of forcing the central areas of the parts I provide a simple apparatus which, as the disks, A' and B, through the aperture, 4, in shown in Figure 1, consists of a standard pastethe box member, I, with the ring, 6, interposed 50 board box, I, having side walls or flanges, I, a between the'disks, .A and B. Figure '7 shows cover, 2, with lateral flanges, 2 and, in addition, how the box member, 4, may be set up so as to a wooden stick or plunger, 3. Since the petal rest on one of its lateral flanges, I", to avoid units are approximately circular in form, the box crushing the partially formed petals while at is preferably square in plan view, and the only the same time presenting the calyx composed of their central portions, A and B in position for application of the wire loop, C. The remainder of the process is similar to that already described, it being understood that the ring, 6, may be slipped off from the petal unit, B, causing the petals to be temporarily gathered, and then permitting them to expand into their final form.

It may be understood that artificial flowers of various types may be made by this process, and that more than two petal units may be employed to produce a larger or fuller blossom. Figure 8 illustrates the use of three such units, A, Band E, respectively, in an apparatus employing the box, and its cover, 2, in the. same manner. as Figure 1, .but with a third element shown'a's'a flat annular disk, I, which performs the same function as the ring, 6, of Figure 5, and is'inter changeable therewith for separating the petal units during their formation. The central aperture of the member, I, is preferably 'of the same size as the aperture, 5, of the cover member, 2.

It may be understood that in the combination of elements shown in Figure 5, a disk, I, may be substituted for the ring, 6, and that, if desired, two or more such disks may be employed, or two or more rings, 6, may be employed with a corresponding number of petal units to form a flower; and, likewise, in .an arrangement such as that shown in Figure 8, a ring, 6, or a plurality of rings with asuitable number of petal units may be substituted for the ring, I, as shown.

It may also be understood that since the cover member, 2, is slightly larger than the box, I, and

is telescopically related thereto, it may be applied over the invertedbox with its flange portions, 2 extending down over the flanges, l and with the petal member, A, interposed; this arrangement ensures centering of the aperture, 5, with respect to the opening, 4, but when the parts are thus employed the assembly will be set up on one of its flanged edges somewhat as shown in Figure 7 for applying the wire stem, C.

One special advantage of using either one or both of the box elements in the process of forming the flowers is that the petal units are customarily sold in packs'or piles, and can be most satisfactorily packaged in a box of this character along with the auxiliary rings or disks and the wooden plunger, which complete the apparatus. Thepackage may also contain a small quantity of wire and wrapping material for making up the stems. These materials are of such shape that there is no danger that they will escape through the aperture 4 or 5 in the box and its cover, but in most cases a paper circular of directions or the package of tissue petal disks will'be placed immediately adjacent the apertured wall to ensure retention of the contents of the package. elements as functioning parts in the formation of the flowers simplifies the apparatus as to the number of parts, and since the box is of standard construction it requires no special machinery or process for its manufacture beyond the punching of the central apertures in its bottom wall and cover.

The utilization of the box While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, itwill be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and re-arrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, and that the same is not limited to the particular form herein shown and described, except in so far as indicated by the appended claims.

I claim:

- 1. An apparatus, for containing and folding into flower-form petal elements of an artificial flower, comprising a box member consisting of a diaphragm wall and a peripheral flange projecting atone side only of the diaphragm wall, a cooperating box; member engageable with said fiange forclosing the box cavity, the diaphragm having a relatively small central aperture, a substantially fiat member having also a central aperture adapted to register with the box' diaphragm aperture when the flat member is" applied to the outer side of the diaphragm withthe box 'member resting on its flange, and a thrust rod dimensioned for thrust through the registered apertures with clearance for accommodating-the thickness of. the petal elements which are to be folded through said apertures. I v

2. A container for petal elements of artificial flowers adapted to serve as a tool for assembling said petal elements in flower form, said container consisting of a box and telescoping cover therefor each comprising a flat diaphragm and a completely continuous peripheral flange projecting from one side only of the diaphragm, said diaphragm and cover having each a relatively small'aperture, said apertures being respectively positioned for registering with each other when the box and cover are inverted and upheld one upon the other, diaphragm to diaphragm, for cooperation of said diaphragms with each other, and with petal element or elements lodged above said diaphragmsrespectively forv flower formation, said apertures being adapted to admit a plunger of suitable dimensions throughthem for flexing the petal elements therethrough.

3. An apparatus for. assembling and folding into flower form petal elements of an artificial flower comprising a box consisting of diaphragm bottom and peripheral flange projecting at one side only of, the diaphragm bottom,and a cover cooperating with said flange for closing the box cavity, the diaphragm having a relatively small substantially central aperture, the'cover member having a similar aperture positioned for registering with the boxdiaphragmaperture when the cover is applied tothe outer 'sideofthe diaphragm of'the box at invertedposition, 'andsa thrust rod dimensioned for thrust through the apertures of. the box diaphragm and cover with clearance for accommodating the thickness of the. petal elements which are to be folded through the diaphragm aperture. V v

4. The constructionv defined in claim 2, the aperture of the cover member being slightly larger than the aperture of. the diaphragm of the box member. v 1

ROBERT N. BURTON. 

